I've long been fascinated by the life and travels of Emily Hahn, an American writer who lived in Africa and Asia in the 1930s and 40s. When I speak about Jews in China during World War II and books set during that period, I always bring up her memoir, China to Me (Blakiston, … [Read more...]

Several years ago I stumbled upon Lisa Brackmann's debut novel, Rock Paper Tiger (Soho, 2010) and was blown away by her central character, Ellie McEnroe. I couldn't remember a fictional character as brash and badass as Ellie. An Iraq War vet and recent Beijing transplant, Ellie … [Read more...]

I remember the first time I read Anchee Min. It was 1994, I'd just moved back to Hong Kong, and was in possession of a shiny new Hong Kong ID card that allowed me to use the public library there. I came across her memoir, Red Azalea (Pantheon, 1994), and finished it in two … [Read more...]

A tea plantation in northern Thailand. A bed and breakfast just this side of the Thai-Burma border. A medical clinic in East Timor. A French-bred prince returning to his motherland.Karen Coates writes about these and other stories way off-the-beaten path in her riveting … [Read more...]